Tom Kha

Tom Kha might just be my most favorite soup ever. The soup originates from Thailand and Laos and is made with unique ingredients like lemongrass, lime leaf and galangal to achieve the delicate balance between spicy, sour, sweet, and savory that makes this soup so special. I also happen to love coconut milk, which is why I like this version better than it’s sibling, Tom Yum. Finding lemongrass and lime leaf is a lot easier these days as they are usually available at Whole Foods, but procuring galangal can be a bit harder. Occasionally, you can find it at Whole Foods and other health stores, your best bet is to scope out your nearest Asian market. If you’re in NYC, then you can head down to Bangkok Center Grocery in Chinatown, which carries all three ingredients. Once you find all the ingredients, here’s what you do:

What You Need:
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
2-3 cups vegetable stock
6 1/4-inch slices of galangal
2 5-inch stalks of lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 Kaffir lime leaves
1/2 block (7 ounces) firm tofu
1/2 cup sliced cabbage
1 lime, juiced
4-6 large white mushrooms, sliced
1 medium beefsteak tomato, cut into large wedges
1 chili pepper
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
1 tsp sweet thai chili paste (optional)
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish

What to Do:
In a medium sized pot, bring the coconut milk, vegetable stock, galangal slices, lime leaves, and  lemongrass pieces up to a boil. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. While the base of the soup is simmering away, you can prep the rest of your ingredients. After the base of the soup is sufficiently flavored, skim or strain out the galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves. Add in the cabbage, mushrooms, tofu, chili (use as much or as little as you like and feel free to remove the seeds if you wish), salt, lime juice, olive oil, and chili paste. If you need to add more broth at this point, you can do so. Bring everything back to a boil for a minute or two just to heat through. Add in the tomatoes at the last second. Serve and garnish with cilantro.